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Although the earliest surviving Greek inscriptions written [#permalink]

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19 Aug 2009, 13:57

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10%(02:28) wrong based on 101 sessions

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Although the earliest surviving Greek inscriptions written in an alphabet date from the eighth century B.C., the fact that the text of these Greek inscriptions sometimes runs from right to left and sometimes from left to right indicates that the Greeks adopted alphabetic writing at least two centuries before these inscriptions were produced. After all, the Greeks learned alphabetic writing from the Phoenicians, and presumably, along with the alphabet, they also adopted the then-current Phoenician practice with respect to the direction of text. And although Phoenician writing was originally inconsistent in direction, by the eighth century B.C. Phoenician was consistently written from right to left and had been for about two centuries.

In the argument given, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?

(A) The first and the second each describe evidence that has been used to challenge the position that the argument seeks to establish.(B) The first is evidence that forms the basis for an objection to the position that the argument seeks to establish; the second is that position.(C) The first is evidence that forms the basis for an objection to the position that the argument seeks to establish; the second is a consideration that is introduced to counter the force of that evidence.(D) The first and the second each provide evidence in support of the position that the argument seeks to establish.(E) The first provides evidence in support of the position that the argument seeks to establish; the second is that position.

Other type of this question exists but this is another version. Please explain in a detailed way.Nice explanation will be appreciated with kudos ) . OA after explanations.
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20 Aug 2009, 01:44

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Premise 1: the text of these Greek inscriptions sometimes runs from right to left and sometimes from left to right

Premise 2: the Greeks learned alphabetic writing from the Phoenicians, and presumably, along with the alphabet, they also adopted the then-current Phoenician practice with respect to the direction of text

Premise 3: Phoenician writing was originally inconsistent in direction, by the eighth century B.C. Phoenician was consistently written from right to left and had been for about two centuries

Conclusion: the Greeks adopted alphabetic writing at least two centuries before the eight century because they adopted the then-current Phoenician practice with respect to the direction of text and because the Phoenician writing was originally inconsistent in direction.

(A) The first and the second each describe evidence that has been used to challenge the position that the argument seeks to establish.no, the bold portions support the conclusion.

(B) The first is evidence that forms the basis for an objection to the position that the argument seeks to establish; the second is that position.no, the first evidence supports the conclusion

(C) The first is evidence that forms the basis for an objection to the position that the argument seeks to establish; the second is a consideration that is introduced to counter the force of that evidence.no, the first evidence supports the conclusion

(D) The first and the second each provide evidence in support of the position that the argument seeks to establish.IMO correct

(E) The first provides evidence in support of the position that the argument seeks to establish; the second is that position.the second is not the position but rather evidence in support of the position.

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Can someone explain why the second bold face is not a position but an evidence?

I am not able to see any evidence in the second boldface. It do not tell that the texts or scripts found show something, so how can it be considered evidence?

The position is the main point that the author seeks to establish. In this argument the position that the author tries to convey is that the Greeks adopted alphabetic writing at least two centuries before the eight century.

So "almost" everything that supports that position can be evidence in support of the argument.

The second boldace helps support the argument. It's written in a rebuttal form. First the author accepts minor flaw "Phoenician writing was originally inconsistent in direction" and then concludes with evidence that he wants to show in support of his main point "by the eighth century B.C. Phoenician was consistently written from right to left and had been for about two centuries".

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06 Oct 2009, 06:14

D is the correct answerThe argument here is that the earliest surviving Greek inscriptions written in an alphabet date from the eighth century B.C., but it actually dates 2 centuries before that.both the boldface data together with premise "the Greeks learned alphabetic writing from the Phoenicians, and presumably, along with the alphabet, they also adopted the then-current Phoenician practice with respect to the direction of text", prove this fact.Hence the option should be D,Even the options, which say a certain statement is a "position" are erroneous since neither of the two are conclusions by themselves. This excludes B,C and EA is either way erroneous, because both the statements intend to reinforce the argument rather than weaken itHence D....The OA and OE please............

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Re: Although the earliest surviving Greek inscriptions written [#permalink]

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17 Feb 2015, 07:39

Hello from the GMAT Club VerbalBot!

Thanks to another GMAT Club member, I have just discovered this valuable topic, yet it had no discussion for over a year. I am now bumping it up - doing my job. I think you may find it valuable (esp those replies with Kudos).

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